YouTube Hosts Battle of the Bands
Digital video forum YouTube will venture into the realm of independent music this fall when it co-launches its first major promotional contest with corporate mobile phone giant Cingular. The contest allows unsigned bands to submit concert footage, music videos or any other audio/video format onto the site from October 2-18. From there, the web-surfing masses with engage in online popular sovereignty to pick the four bands or artists that cause the most enjoyable procrastination. Grey’s Anatomy and The O.C. music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas will bestow honors for best song, best music video, best live performance and best creative work... read more
Kinky Friedman Tribute CD
On September 26, 2006, Sustain Records will release Why The Hell Not...The Songs Of Kinky Friedman, a tribute album to the irreverent and frequently politically incorrect Texan singer-songwriter. Often overlooked because of his choices of subject matter, Friedman has always striven to make people laugh while exploring social issues. Other Texan musicians such as Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, and Dwight Yoakam will put their own unique stamps on Friedman songs like "Wild Man From Borneo." Incidentally, sixty-one year old Friedman is currently number two in the polls in the race for the Texas governor's office. ... read more
Nic Harcourt Gets New Show On A&E
Renowned KCRW deejay Nic Harcourt has a new special segment on A&E’s “Breakfast with the Arts” program. The monthly segment, which began in July, is called “Second Sundays with Nic Harcourt,” and features interviews and live performances by up and coming bands. The upcoming schedule for the show currently features Sandy Thom on Oct. 8, Guster on Nov. 12 and The Pinkertons on Dec. 10. ... read more
Apples In Stereo Back With First Album In Five Years
When the Apples in Stereo were looking for a label in 2003 after laveing their longtime home at spinART, Elijah Wood of The Lord of the Rings fame had just launched a record label of his own — Simian Records. Both parties ended up meeting at South by Southwest and their interests collided. On February 7, the innovative band will release its first record in five years on Wood’s label via Yep Roc/Elephant 6/Redeye Distribution. New Magnetic Wonder is 53 minutes long with 14 songs and is produced by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Sebadoh, Phish). Tour dates for the... read more
Colin Meloy Plays Solo Living Room Concert
Decemberists frontman Colin Meloy will perform an intimate solo concert Friday, October 6, 2006 at 7:30 PM in a Portland, Oregon home. The show, which comes only three days after the release of The Decemberists' new album, The Crane Wife, will benefit the Oregon League of Conservation Voters which works to elect pro-environment candidates to office in Oregon. Tickets will cost $75 which includes refreshments prepared by Stephen from The Decemberists' "The Apology Song" and seating will be very limited. http://www.stereogum.com/archives/003447.html ... read more
Gob Iron Reshapes Folk Classics
[Above: Jay Farrar] Gob Iron — British slang for "harmonica" — is the somewhat unsavory name of Anders Parker and Jay Farrar's new collaborative side project. The musicians reshape classic folk standards, tweaking lyrics and arrangements to give the songs an innovative, modern feel. Their first album, Death Songs for the Living, is set for an Oct. 31 release. Farrar, the alt-country pioneer behind Son Volt and Uncle Tupelo, and Parker, who fronts the indie-rock outfit Varnaline, wasted no time in recording this CD. The two laid down 19 tracks over the course of only two days. Death Songs combines... read more
Flaming Lips Release Expanded Box Set
More music, more media, more artwork and more eccentricity: This is just what you can expect from The Flaming Lips' latest offering, an expanded edition of their latest release. The CD/DVD set, At War With The Mystics 5.1 Special Edition, will be released on Warner Bros. Records Oct. 24. Thirteen new tracks — including radio performances, songs making their American debut and covers of Queen, Led Zeppelin and Sonic Youth songs — appear on the expanded album. Meanwhile, the DVD includes videos for "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song," "Mr. Ambulance Driver," and "The W.A.N.D.," as well as Wayne Coyne's... read more
Now It's Overhead -- Dark Light Daybreak
Athens band Now It's Overhead's third album exhibits perfectionist production but banal subject matter. read more
Jay Bennett Tours In Support Of New Album
As Wilco addicts count down the days 'til the Sept. 26 release of Jay Bennett's latest solo release, The Magnificent Defeat, the man himself is prepping for an upcoming U.S. tour. Starting Oct. 18 in Chicago, Bennett will hit the road with fellow traditional pop-rockers Death Ships. Fans may be disappointed to learn the tour ends a scant two weeks later, but after a short break, the indie heavyweight plans to resume touring in December. For more information, click here. Jay Bennett Tour Dates October 18 - Chicago, IL: Fitzgerald's 19 - Champaign, IL: Cowboy Monkey 20 - Iowa City,... read more
New Box Set Showcases Exclusive Folk Performances
On Sept. 26, a collection of live songs from some of folk music’s most renowned artists can be heard for the first time since they were performed more than 40 years ago. Friends of Old Time Music: The Folk Arrival 1961-1965 spans three CDs and 55 tracks, only two of which have previously been released. Selected from 14 influential concerts that exposed New York City to the message and meaning of folk music, the set includes contributions from a wide range of classic folk stars, including Maybelle Carter, the Stanley Brothers, Mississippi John Hurt and Doc Watson. For more information,... read more
Paste Puts On 2nd Annual Rock 'N' Reel Festival
Paste presents its 2nd Annual Paste Rock ‘N’ Reel Festival beginning Friday September 15th and running through Sunday September 24th at various venues in Atlanta, Ga. The independent music and film festival consists of 10 days of concerts and movie screenings from various critically acclaimed artists and filmmakers, a short film competition and a handful of parties in venues throughout the Atlanta area (home to Paste headquarters). Among the 50+ acts performing are Sufjan Stevens, The Wrens, Jose Gonzalez, Band of Horses, Beirut, The French Kicks, Modern Skirts, Ollabelle, Jim White, Peelander-Z and Supersystem. More information at pasterocknreel.com. Paste will... read more
Dayna Kurtz - Another Black Feather
Southwestern flavorings add spice to the darkness... read more
Sufjan Stevens To Release Christmas Box Set
Looks like folk pop dreamboat Sufjan Stevens has gotten over the 50 states project. Now he’s onto something even more traditional: Christmas. Stevens is releasing a box set titled Songs for Christmas Nov. 21 with five individually packed Christmas EPs that he began recording in 2001. Included in the box set are various novelty items such as Christmas stickers, extensive liner notes and short stories by Stevens and a Christmas songbook with lyric sheets. The five-disc tracklist: Noel: Songs for Christmas, Vol. I (recorded December 2001) 1. Silent Night 2. O Come O Come Emmanuel 3. We’re Goin’ To the... read more
Benevento/Russo Duo Go On Tour
The instrumental rock songwriting Benevento/Russo Duo is going on tour in support of its recent LP, Play Pause Stop . The Brooklyn-based keyboard-and-drum duo hooked up in 2002, performing instrumental renditions of Led Zeppelin and Radiohead songs at a weekly gig. After 2005's Best Reason to Buy the Sun , the duo played everywhere from smoky dives and sweaty bars to SXSW and Bonnaroo. After playing in the studio on Trey Anastasio's new solo album, Bar 17 , they went on the road with him both as his opening act and backup band. On their newest album, the pair... read more
Benevento/Russo Duo Go On Tour
The instrumental rock songwriting Benevento/Russo Duo is going on tour in support of its recent LP, Play Pause Stop . The Brooklyn-based keyboard-and-drum duo hooked up in 2002, performing instrumental renditions of Led Zeppelin and Radiohead songs at a weekly gig. After 2005's Best Reason to Buy the Sun , the duo played everywhere from smoky dives and sweaty bars to SXSW and Bonnaroo. The duo was invited into the studio to guest on Trey Anastasio's new solo album, Bar 17 , and then went on the road with him as both his opening act and backup band. On... read more
All-star Tribute Pays Homage to Dylan, Benefits Music For Youth
Patti Smith, Phil Lesh, Cat Power, and Seal are just a few of the dozen artists slated to pay tribute to Bob Dylan at a benefit concert at NYC’s Avery Fisher Hall this November. A benefit event for the Music For Youth foundation, the Dylan tribute follows on the heels of MYF’s 2005 homage to Joni Mitchell, which raised $130,000 to further the organization’s efforts to orchestrate the collaboration of music industry executives and educators to bring music education to at-risk youth. Indicating the extreme breadth and depth of Dylan’s musical influence over the past 40 years, performers range from... read more
Joshua Tree Music Festival To Raise Funds For Fire Disaster Relief
Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival, Oct. 21 & 22, will raise funds for fire disaster relief in the Joshua Tree area. Last month over 90,000 acres and hundreds of homes were destroyed by fire. The "rootsicana newgrassy folkadelic" festival will donate one-hundred percent of profits to fire disaster relief. The line-up includes RailRoad Earth, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men, Trampled by Turtles, Ditty Bops, GreenSky BlueGrass, Anne McCue, Blue Turtle Seduction, Wally Ingram & Tom Freund, Tishamingo, Tim Easton, Ken Will Morton and Golden Hill Ramblers, among others. For more information, visit here. ... read more
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint
Two men are caught in the spotlight, both middle-aged, both impeccably dressed. One is black, one white, each is wearing a dark suit... read more
Q&A: Buckwheat Zydeco
Creole-music legend talks about his new album, life on the road and the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina... read more
The Polyphonic Spree To Release New EP
Those relentlessly waiting to see more from powerpop choral 24-member group The Polyphonic Spree can wait no more. The Dallas, Texas-based band will release a new EP, Wait, on Sept. 5 on Hollywood Records. Two tracks were recorded with producer Jon Brion. The Polyphonic Spree will go on a short tour in September. Wait tracklist includes: 1. Mental Cabaret (new album track) 2. Love My Way (Psychedelic Furs cover, recorded with Brion) 3. Sonic Bloom (Tripping Daisy cover) 4. Lithium (Nirvana cover, recorded with Brion) 5. I'm Calling (new album track) Tour dates: September 3 - Denver CO - City... read more
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